Riding in India #1: Freeways, etc... Entering Delhi Suburbs

This is a light traffic day at approximately 11:00 am coming into Delhi along one of the major routes. The Lanes are single direction.

You can see the typical traffic behavior... this is a left hand drive country and motorcycles are considered to be the lowest in the right of way order... generally riding in the left lane although they will duck in and out of traffic lanes further to the right. They have the advantage in that they can squeeze into smaller spaces... but beware of getting boxed in !

On the far right beyond a divider you see another set of lanes where there are fewer cars and they are moving faster. These are CARS ONLY, if you go into these lanes in a bike you are subject to a 90,000 Rupee fine. (according to a Cop who stopped me when I missed the signs and who I bribed with a lower sum to let me go. 1200 rupees... BUT no guarantee you won't run into an honest cop who will arrest you and seize your bike unless you immediately pay the full fine online through your phone) The fact is, they should let the bigger bikes into these lanes, but since most people ride 125cc bikes and Scooters which can't do 100-120 kmh but can't be trusted to not enter anyway, they decided to ban all bikes.

Notice the vehicles don't pay much attention to the lane dividers... by my experience, Indian drivers, especially car drivers, prefer to cruise exactly on the lane divider as they feel this gives them more options in terms of lunging left or right to pass... but in fact, this results in the Car lane-splitting being passed on both sides, by cars and motorcycles.

The merging lanes coming in from the left are a giant game of chicken... with the smallest vehicle expected to give way... so often a car merging from the left will cut right in front of a motorcycle, with absolutely no concern for the possibility of a collision.

The exit lanes are much the same... often a Driver in a vehicle in the far right lane will time his run to the exit at the last moment and cut in front of multiple other vehicles in his determination to make the exit. Sometimes a driver who missed an exit will stop and actually back up into the traffic flow to allow him to take the missed exit. You can see one stopped car about to begin backing up to the exit in a section of the video. (Indian drivers in general do not see anything wrong with driving the wrong way into traffic... if it is more convenient for them to make a turn, etc.)

This is all taking place with temperatures in the 35-45 degree range... it can get really hot and when the traffic slows, your bike can start to overheat... in that case, time to get off the freeway.

I really hate driving into Delhi or any of the mega Indian cities... getting out is actually easy... you just get up at 4:00 am and be on the road by 5:30 am and the traffic is quite light. Most Indians don't start work till 10:00 am so rush hour starts around 7:30 am. But coming in almost always is a semi-nightmare... even at night... because most Indian's work day goes till at least 8:00 pm and sometimes till 10:00 pm... and traffic is busy till Midnight. Driving at night is not a good idea... many Indian car and motorcycle drivers do not use lights to "...save their electrical systems and battery..." and dogs are quite active at night... these are the most dangerous non-human obstacles. (as well as Monkeys)